The Unknown Dragomir
by hunterofartemis126
Summary: What if Eric Dragomir cheated on his wife more than once? What if he had another child who was unrecognized by her father and her people? What will happen when her true identity is brought out of the shadows?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Richelle Mead does.

Prologue

It was a few weeks after Lissa had been crowned queen and she and Rose were spending a few precious hours of free time going through some possessions which had belonged to Lissa's father before he had died. She had only recently acquired them from one of his old friends and hadn't had a chance to go through them until now.

"There's probably nothing useful in here," Rose remarked as she opened the first box. "It's probably just a bunch of old letters and stuff."

"Well," Said Lissa, lifting out a stack of papers. "It's worth having a look. You never know, there could be something useful."

Rose rolled her eyes but she began to go through the stuff with Lissa.

At first, Rose was right. The boxes held some old pictures, a few old Christmas and Birthday cards and a lot of dust. But then, a small white sheet of paper at the bottom of the last box caught Lissa's eye and she pulled it out.

"Hey, what's that?" Rose asked glancing at Lissa.

"I don't know," She responded, smoothing out the paper. "Let's read it."

What she found on that paper would change her life again.

Dear Eric,

I know you think it would be best if I kept our daughter with me. But that is impossible. People are already starting to suspect her parentage and I cannot put her at risk. I am having her taken to a human family to be looked after. None will learn about her secret, and she will be unaffected to the goings-on with the other royals. This will be best for our daughter.

comAshley Dashkov

Lissa sat there in shock, staring down at the letter. Then, without a word, she handed it to Rose.

"What will you do?" Rose asked once she had read the letter too. "Will you try to find her?"

"I-I think she should have a right to know who her parents are," Said Lissa shakily. "So yes, I'll track her down but I can't believe that ... well that I have another sister."

Rose put an arm around Lissa. "We'll get through this, and you never know, she might be cool."

"Maybe," Said Lissa, "But regardless, I have to find her."


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the Bloodlines series. The amazing Richelle Mead does. I only own my own characters and the plot.

Author's Note: Hi guys! I'm back with a new story! I've been planning something like this for a while but I couldn't figure out how to do it until now. I really hope you enjoy and please remember to review!

Chapter 1: Just Another Hellish Day, Or Is It?

Nicolaclair's POV

I woke up on Monday morning and sighed. I could already hear my niece, Leonie, coming to wake us up.

"Liam!" Leonie shouted in her high, annoying voice, "Get up!"

"Go away, Leonie!" Liam, my twelve year old idiot of a nephew, screamed at her. She laughed in that annoying way of hers and came running happily into my room.

"Clair, get up!" She told me. Clair is what she calls me for short instead of Nicolaclair.

"Ok," I sighed wearily, "I'll be down in a minute."

"No," She told me, "Come down right now!"

"Fine," I replied. It was better to humour her so that she wouldn't start crying or worse tell my sister that I wouldn't get up. Leonie was only three years old but she was really advanced for her age. Well, her speech was advanced, anyway.

I got out of my soft, comfortable bed and after making it neatly, followed her down the stairs. When I opened the door to the living room, my sister, Stephanie, greeted me in her usual cheerful way.

"Morning, Clair." She said as she came out of the kitchen.

"Morning," I replied brightly.

"Is Liam up, yet?" Andy, Stephanie's boyfriend, asked. I had to grit my teeth. I hated Andy, but I knew very well that if I showed it, I would be in huge trouble.

"No," I told him, "Not yet."

"Usual with you lot," Andy muttered irritably, "The lot of you are just lazy stupid, no-good kids."

I bit my lip to stop myself from telling him that he was nothing but a selfish pig. Why was he always such a bully to us? Why didn't my sister do something to stop him?

I tried to calm down and nothing more was said and when Liam finally came down, we had breakfast. After breakfast, which was toast and tea with biscuits, I got showered and dressed. I put on my black leggings and my orange t-shirt and hoodie. I also put on my new perfume, DKNY. When I was dressed, I put in my new black earrings and took out my little black mobile phone to call my Dad.

Well ok, I say my Dad but he couldn't really be my Dad because I'm a Moroi. Yep, that's right, I'm a vampire. Don't worry though, I don't sleep in a coffin or kill people but I do need blood to survive. I also use elemental magic. I'm a water user and I'm a pretty strong one. I get my blood from the only person who knows about my true nature, a really nice lady who actually lives next door to me. Her name is Liz, and she's been a feeder for most of her life. Despite this, she's not crazy or anything, she just likes the high that she can get from a Moroi bite. Anyway, my dad was not my father biologically but he had been the closest thing I'd had to a dad my whole life. I had been adopted as a child from my single Moroi mother and had lived with my human family as long as I could remember. I have no idea how they didn't find out about me but I knew that the only one of them who had known my secret was my mum, Elizabeth Pots who had been the person I'd trusted most in the entire world. Sadly, she died three and a half years ago so now, I was alone and I couldn't talk to anyone about my secret. Well, except for Liz, of course but that was different.

So anyway as I was saying, I dialed my dad's number and waited impatiently for him to answer.

"Hello?" Dad answered warmly.

"Hi, Dad!" I said, "When are you going to pick me up?"

"Well, are you ready now?" Dad asked me. I smiled slightly. At least I had somewhere to go to escape this hellish house.

"Yep," I responded, "That's why I'm calling you."

"Ok, honey." He said. "I'll phone a taxi and be right out to get you."

"Good," I sighed, "See you soon."

I hung up and went downstairs to wait for him.

As I was waiting, my phone rang again. I answered and wasn't expecting the conversation that followed.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Hi, is this Nicolaclair Connelly?" A female voice asked politely. She had an American accent and I didn't know her voice at all.

"Yes," I replied warily, "Who is this? How did you get my number?"

"My name is Lissa Dragomir," She explained kindly. "I'm the Moroi queen and I got your number because I was looking for you. I found your number in the record of a Scottish feeder named Liz Anderson."

Ok, I thought why on Earth would the Queen of the Moroi want to talk to me? I didn't even know the Moroi had a queen until Liz explained some stuff about the royals and the Moroi court.

"Why the hell are you looking for me?" I asked. It came out pretty harshly but seriously, I was freaking out.

"Because," Lissa said, "I think you might be my sister."

Author's Note: So, what did you think? Did you like my character? Did you think she's believable? Please let me know. hunterofartemis126


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my own characters.

Author's Note: Hey guys! I hope you enjoy this chapter and please review!

Chapter 2: New Friends and Old

Nicolaclair's POV

"I'm your what?" I asked. I knew that I probably should've been more polite, this was the Moroi queen after all, but I was too shocked to remember my manners.

"My sister," Lissa said calmly. "I know this is really weird for you. I can't get my head around it either but you and I have the same dad."

I gasped. What was she saying? Was I really related to the leader of the entire Moroi world? Why hadn't I ever known?

"Do you mean," I said slowly, "That I'm ... royal?"

"Yes," She confirmed grimly. "And that means that you'll have to have some guardians. I've got three guardians on their way now. I'm sorry, but if you were planning on going out today, I'd advise you to cancel your plans and stay in. I know it's a pain."

Now that got me angry. "Why should I cancel my plans?" I demanded, "I have a right to go out of the house and besides, I already told my dad that I was coming. If I don't go, he'll be really upset!"

"Well," Lissa said. "Give me your dad's address and I'll have your guardians meet you there. They'll be able to come in about two hours."

I told her his address and we hung up. Lissa promised to be in touch and I promised to save her number. My mind was still reeling. Me, a girl who'd lived most of her fourteen short years in a small Scottish town, royal? It just didn't seem possible.

I looked down at myself. I was pretty short about 5"3 and very skinny. I'd been told that I could be a model if I wanted but I wasn't the kind of girl who liked a lot of attention. I had pale skin, curly dark brown hair and big jade green eyes. I'd always liked my eyes but my hair was murder to fix in the morning.

No, I decided, I didn't have what it would take to be a royal. Oh well, maybe Lissa would send me away, horrified by my lack of regality.

I was cut off from my thoughts when my phone rang again. This time it was Dad, telling me that he was outside. I went out and got into the taxi.

Billy's POV

I sighed. Today was the day I'd been waiting for my whole life. I was finally getting an assignment. Not only that, but my assignment happened to be the queen's sister.

Maybe I should go back to the beginning. My name is Guillermo Ramirez and I'm sixteen years old. I come from Valencia in Spain and my friends at school, mostly the British ones since my school is an international one, call me Billy because my full name Guillermo is the Spanish for William. I'm also a guardian. Yes, I know that most guardians graduate when they are eighteen but since the decree which was passed by the former queen Tatiana, guardians now graduate when they are sixteen.

Honestly, I don't mind this. I have always been top in my guardian classes and I am eager to get out into the real world to get some proper experience.

I was jerked back to reality when the car stopped. We were here. I looked at my companions. Eddie Castile, who was driving, had sandy blond hair and sharp hazel eyes, and Neil Raymond, who sat beside Eddie, had short black hair and bright blue eyes.

"What did you say her name was again?" I asked Eddie. Things wouldn't go well if I couldn't even remember the girl's name.

"Nicolaclair," Eddie said, "She's fourteen and lives not that far from here. This is her adopted father's house." I nodded. Right, Nicolaclair. Somehow, that name sounded very familiar to me but I couldn't quite place it. I shook off the feeling and followed the others to meet our new charge.

Nicolaclair's POV

I heard a knock at the door. My dad had gone to the shop and I assumed that this was the arrival of my guardians. I had to admit that I was kinda nervous about meeting them. I mean, what if I hated them? What if they are really old and stuff? Another knock caused me to stand up and go to the front door.

When I opened it, I saw three young men. The guy in front, who I thought must be the leader, had sandy blond hair, cute features, and sharp hazel eyes. The second guy was tall with neatly cut black hair and bright blue eyes. And the last guy ... I knew him. His gorgeous face was exactly like I remembered, his black hair was just as soft and silky looking and his chocolate brown eyes made me want to melt as I gazed into them.

"Billy?" I asked though I already knew the answer. "Is that you?"

"Nicolaclair!" Billy replied and pulled me into a hug. Laughing, I hugged him back, blinking tears of joy out of my eyes.

"You guys know each other?" A voice asked. Billy and I pulled apart and I saw that it was the blond boy who had spoken.

"Yeah," I said, "We met in France. I was on a school trip and well ... I don't really know what Billy was doing there."

"I was on a break from school with some friends," Billy told me. I nodded in understanding and then turned to the other two guys.

"I'm Nicolaclair Connelly," I introduced myself, holding out my hand.

"Eddie Castile." Said the blond, shaking my hand.

"Neil Raymond." The other guy said, also shaking hands with me. I smiled at them.

"It's great to meet you both," I said. "Can I get you a drink?"

"No thank you." Neil said politely. He had a faint English accent and I thought that he was the kind of guy who wouldn't really say very much.

"Yes please." Billy said. I smiled. I loved his Spanish accent just like I loved everything else about him.

"What do you want?" I asked. "Water? Tea? Coffee? Coke? Or, maybe some Iron-Bru?"

"What's Iron-Bru?" Eddie asked. I grinned with delight.

"You've never tried it? Allow me to enlighten you."

I went into the kitchen and grabbed four glasses. I filled them all with the orange liquid and then I carried them back to the others who had made themselves comfortable on the couches.

"Here you go," I said handing everyone a glass. I'd gotten one for Neil too, even though he'd said he didn't want anything. In my opinion, no one could resist Iron-Brue.

"This is actually quite nice." Eddie said. I smiled at him. I knew they couldn't resist it.

"See?" I asked. "Don't ever say that we Scots don't have taste. I suppose you don't get Iron-Bru in ... America? You are American, right?"

"Yeah," He agreed. "And I don't know if you get Iron-Brue in America. If so, I've never tried it."

After that, we sat in silence drinking our juice. Then, I heard the door open. Uh-oh, how would I explain three new visitors to dad?

Author's Note: So, what did you think? Please review and let me know. Also, do they sell Iron-Bru in America? Please tell me if you know. Thanks for reading! hunterofartemis126


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Bloodlines. I only own my own characters.

Author's Note: This chapter will be entirely in Billy's POV so I hope you enjoy! And please remember to review! :D

Chapter 3: Home Sweet Home

Billy's POV

As we were all still sitting there, drinking our Iron-Bru, which is really nice by the way, the front door opened.

"It's okay," Nicolaclair said calmly. "It's just my dad."

"Hi, Honey," A man's deep voice called. "I got more juice!"

"That's good," Nicolaclair replied, her Scottish accent made me melt like always. It was like silk, gently wrapping around me and making me feel like nothing could go wrong again. "We've got visitors!"

"Who are they?" Her dad asked as he entered the room.

"Um, just some friends of mine. They'll be staying with me for a while."

"Oh," he responded. "Nice to meet you all."

I studied her adopted dad carefully. He was around 45 years old and about 5 feet 8. He was quite round and he had greying hair. Dark brown eyes twinkled cheerfully behind his small glasses.

"I'm John." He introduced himself.

"I'm Eddie," Eddie said, "And these are Billy and Neil."

We all shook hands and then sat down to a dinner of Chinese food.

A few hours later, Neil, Eddie, Nicolaclair and I drove back to Nicolaclair's house in the black Masda that the queen had arranged for us to pick up when we got here.

"So, do we get a bedroom each?" Eddie asked. Nicolaclair laughed.

"Nah, you'll all be sharing my nephew's room."

"Ok," Eddie said and then asked whether or not someone should patrol the house at night. We decided that someone usually would, but since it was only the first night, we could work that out in the morning.

When we got to the house, Nicolaclair's sister was expecting us. Nicolaclair had texted her earlier and told her that we would be coming. I think she probably had to use a little bit of compulsion to persuade her, but it had worked.

When I saw the room we would be staying in, I almost groaned. Two sets of bunk beds were at each side of the room and there was only one large cupboard.

"We can all share the cupboard," Eddie said. "It won't be too bad."

"I know," I told him. "And I'm so happy to see Nicolaclair again. I missed her a lot."

"Yeah, you guys definitely seem pretty close," Eddie noted. "Do you know each other well, then?"

"Pretty well," I answered. "We spent the majority of a week together in France a few months ago. I was going to ask her for her phone number, but I never got up enough courage to do it."

"Well, at least now you guys can talk face-to-face as much as you want." Eddie said. Then, the room door banged open and a boy of about 12 years old came in.

The boy had wiry black hair, mean blue eyes and a thin build. He wore jeans and a black t-shirt and he was carrying a half empty can of coke.

"Are yous Nicolaclair's pals?" He asked suspiciously.

"Yes," I responded politely. "Why?"

"Just wondering. What are your names?"

"I'm Billy," I said. "And this is Neil and this is Eddie." I nodded to each of them as I spoke.

"I'm Liam, Nicolaclair's nephew."

"Nice to meet you, Liam." I said. The boy made a disgusted face at us.

"I hope you're not like the rest of her stupid friends," Liam said. "I hate them and I hate her too, most of the time."

"Why do you hate her?" Neil asked. Neil rarely spoke so I was surprised to hear his voice. I had a feeling that his no-speaking thing was normal for him and that he was more of a strong and silent type.

"Because," Liam said. "She's smart and nice and everyone likes her. I'm not so smart and everyone treats me like a joke."

I looked at Liam again. His face was twisted with bitterness and anger. "That's not Nicolaclair's fault," I said. "And I'm sure people don't mean to treat you like a joke."

"Yes they do," Liam insisted. "And I don't really care if it isn't her fault. I still hate her. I wish she'd just go away and leave me and the rest of my family alone. She doesn't belong with us, anyway."

"That's not nice," Eddie told him firmly. "In fact, I'm sure that you would really hurt her feelings if you told her that."

"So?" He asked. "Maybe she'd go away if I said it."

"Said what?" Nicolaclair asked, poking her head round the door.

"Nothing." I said quickly. "Liam was just talking about his teacher."

The lie came easily to my lips. I didn't like lying but I didn't want Nicolaclair to be in pain either. I also didn't want her asking too many questions because that would definitely get her upset when she found out what Liam had said about her.

"I can always tell when you're lying, Billy." Nicolaclair told me matter-of-factly. "You turn all pink and won't make eye contact with me."

"I said that I didn't want you here." Liam said before anyone could stop him. "I said that I hate you and I wish-"

"Shut up!" I cut him off angrily. "Don't be such a pig to her!"

"It's OK, Billy," Nicolaclair said quietly. "I know where I'm not wanted."

Without another word, she stormed out of the room, slamming the door loudly behind her.

I glared at Liam furiously. How could he do that? Nicolaclair was practically part of his family! How could anyone say something like that, and then not even care that it had hurt someone?

"You should go after her." Eddie told Liam quietly. "It's your fault she's so upset."

"Naw!" Liam said. "I told her the truth. If she doesn't like it, she can lump it."

"You're a little piece of work, you know that?" Eddie asked, then he turned his back on Liam and looked at Neil and me. "Someone should go talk to her." He said worriedly. "She looked really upset."

"I'll go." I said. I didn't know if I could make her feel any better, but I had to at least try.

I walked out of the room and knocked on the door of the one next door.

"GO AWAY!" Nicolaclair screamed angrily. "I DON'T WANT TO TALK TO YOU, LIAM SO LEAVE ME ALONE!"

I winced. I'd never heard her that mad before, not even when all her friends started singing "Nicolaclair and Billy, sitting in a tree! G!" when we sat next to each other on a bus on our way to a zoo. Back then, she'd been mad but I think she was mostly embarrassed.

"It's not Liam," I called through the door. "It's just me."

There was a long pause. I was beginning to think she was ignoring me, but then she answered.

"Come in." She told me and I cautiously opened the door.

Her room was small but really nice. Its walls were lilac as were her carpet and bed covers. She had a small TV and a desk and chair were sitting in the corner. She was sitting in the desk chair, writing in a small glittery purple notebook and wearing a sad look on her face.

"Are you OK?" I asked her anxiously. "I know you must be upset."

"I'm more angry than upset," She responded. "But I well ... I thought these people at least wanted me."

"They do want you," I assured her gently. "Liam is just an immature idiot who doesn't know what he's saying."

Nicolaclair sniffed. She got up from her chair and came to sit on the bed beside me.

"You know what sucks?" She asked me quietly.

"What?" I responded.

"The fact that I can't talk to anyone about who I really am. My mum was the only one who knew and she died! And now I have no one!" She couldn't hold in her tears after that. She started to cry quietly so I put my arm around her. "You have me." I whispered and she hugged me back fiercely, and soon she drifted to sleep right there in my arms. I pulled away from her gently and wrapped her covers around her to keep her warm. I kissed her softly on the cheek and went back to my own room.

"Is she all right?" Eddie asked. I nodded slowly.

"I think so. She's sleeping now."

I glared at Liam's motionless figure on one of the bottom bunks. While I'd been comforting Nicolaclair, he'd gone to bed and was now sound asleep.

"We should probably get some sleep," Neil suggested. "We have school in the morning."

Eddie and I agreed and we all went to bed.

Author's Note: So what did you think? Too fluffy? Not too fluffy? Let me know in a review. hunterofartemis126


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Bloodlines. Richelle Mead does and I don't have the money to buy it, unfortunately.

Author's Note: Hi, fanfictioners! This chapter will be in Nicolaclair's POV and it will not be quite as long as the last one so sorry about that. It will still be pretty long, though. Anyway, please review and I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 4: The First Day Back

Nicolaclair's POV

I was woken the next morning by the annoying sound of my phone's alarm. I groaned and turned the repulsive thing off. I was not a morning person by any means and especially not today. That was because today was the first day of school after the way too short summer holidays.

As I made my slow journey to the bathroom, memories from the night before replayed in my mind. I winced internally. I couldn't believe I'd broken down like that. And worse, I'd done it in front of Billy of all people! What must Billy think of me now? He probably thinks I'm some silly, weeping girl, always relying on others to protect her. That wasn't an impression I wanted anyone to have about me especially since it was definitely not true.

I pushed my troubled thoughts aside and got ready for school. When I was done, I knocked loudly on the boys' room door.

"Are you lot up yet?" I called through the door.

"No," A sleepy voice, unmistakably Liam's, answered. "What time is it?"

"Half past seven," I said. "And I wasn't talking to you, anyway."

"Everyone else has been up for ages," Liam informed me irritably. "They're all downstairs."

I didn't respond but I did head downstairs to find the three guardians drinking coffee and talking quietly in the living room.

"Morning, guys." I said brightly. "I hope you all slept well."

"Very well, thanks." Eddie answered me.

"I didn't sleep very well," Liam said, coming down the stairs.

"No one asked you." Billy snapped. It was the first thing he'd said since I'd come down and I was a bit surprised at the amount of anger in his voice.

Liam didn't respond but he did glare at Billy pretty viciously. Neil, noticing his dirty look, changed the subject.

"We should get going," He told us. "We don't want to be late, especially not on the first day."

The four of us gathered our stuff and left the house to go to Uddingston Grammar, the school that I'd attended for 2 years now. Thankfully, Liam went to a different school so he didn't travel with us.

It had been decided that all three guardians would accompany me to school. Although I thought that it was wholly unnecessary, I didn't want to get on Lissa's bad side.

"So which class are you in for registration?" Billy asked me as I studied my new timetable.

"B108, you?"

"B102," Billy answered. "Come on, I'll walk you to class."

I followed him into the B-wing corridor and decided to take advantage of the brief moment of alone time.

"Billy, about last night-" I started but he cut me off almost immediately.

"It's OK," He told me gently. "Don't be embarrassed about it. I won't say anything to the others. And besides, everyone gets upset sometimes."

"That's not what I was going to say." I said quietly.

"Oh, OK what was it then?"

"I just wanted to say thanks, for being there for me last night."

Billy smiled at me softly. "You don't need to thank me," He said simply. "I was glad that I could be there for you."

"Aww, that's one of the nicest things I've ever heard."

"I try my best." Billy replied with a wink as he slipped into his class.

I smiled slightly and headed into my own registration class. I liked most people in my class. They were mostly all right but with a few very noticeable exceptions.

"Awright, mate!" A voice called to me. I bit my lip to keep myself from groaning.

"Hi, Declan." I said. Declan Smith was one of my least favourite people in this class. He wasn't particularly mean, he was just very annoying and loud.

"How was your summer?" I asked. I didn't like Declan much but I had to at least try to be polite.

"Not bad, how was yours?" He asked easily.

"It was all right, thanks." I answered and then I turned to talk to my friends, Jenny and Zoe Browning.

"Hi, Jenny! Hey Zoe!" I greeted them happily.

"Hey, Nicolaclair!" They replied enthusiastically.

"Where's Georgea?" I asked curiously.

"We don't know," Jenny said. "We haven't seen her yet."

"Oh well," I said brightly. "I'm sure I'll see her later."

"Probably." Zoe said and then we chatted eagerly about what we'd done this summer.

After registration, I had PE. This week, we would be playing hockey and I was looking forward to it quite a lot.

There was a small problem though. The sun was out this morning and I was already starting to feel uncomfortable and I knew that if I fainted, I could be sent home to my sister and Andy who would not be happy.

"Are you all right, Nicolaclair?" My teacher, Miss Whitley asked me.

"Yes, Miss," I said. "I just feel a little dizzy, that's all."

"Well, tell me if it gets any worse." She told me and I nodded in agreement.

Thankfully, I managed to struggle my way through the period and felt proud of myself. The sun really had been hot and I hadn't been very confident in my sun tolerance.

After PE, I had Latin. I really liked Latin and I thought that I wasn't too bad at it.

"Now," Mr Green told the class. "Who can tell me how to say dog in Latin?"

A few hands went up and Mr Green asked the boy who's hand went up first.

"Yes, Ryan?"

"Canos, sir." Ryan said smugly.

"Not quite," Mr Green said. "Anyone else think they know?"

I put up my hand and he nodded at me.

"Canis, sir?" I asked.

"Very good." He said. "Now everyone open your books to page 14."

The rest of that period passed uneventfully and before I knew it, it was time for break.

At break, I met up with some of my friends and we socialised for a while. After about ten minutes, Billy and Eddie came over to us.

"Hi, Nicolaclair," Billy said. "Who are your friends?"

I introduced my friends to them and was pleased to find that everyone seemed to get on really well.

After break, I had Biology and a study period. Both classes passed quickly and before I knew it, lunch had been and gone, too.

My afternoon classes were Spanish and Home Economics. They were my two favourite classes and when my Home Economics teacher told us that we would be making cakes, I felt even happier.

"Unfortunately," Mrs Thomas said. "We won't have time to make the cake today so we'll have to start tomorrow."

I felt a little let down by that but I brightened when she started giving us a demonstration of the recipe.

When she was done with the demonstration, she let all of us try a piece of the cake. On my way to get a piece, I bumped into John Marcial.

"Oh, sorry John." I said as I passed him.

"It's fine," John said quietly.

I took my piece of cake and turned to him.

"Did you have a good summer, John?" I asked smiling.

"Yeah, it was fine," He said. "How was yours?"

"Yeah, all right." I told him with a smile. He smiled back and wandered away to talk to one of his friends. I shrugged, that was just how John was, sometimes. He was a really nice guy but he was also pretty quiet and shy at times.

My thoughts were cut off by the bell. Oh crap! I was going to be late out now. I grabbed my stuff and ran out of the school doors, thinking that this year would be a pretty good one.

Author's Note: Sorry again for the shorter chapter. Also, I hope it wasn't too boring. Please let me know in a review! hunterofartemis126


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my own characters.

Author's Note: Please enjoy and remember to review. This chapter will be quite fast-paced so if you don't understand something, please just let me know.

Chapter 5: An Attack and Some Travel Plans

Billy's POV

My first day at my new school was all right, I suppose. My classes were pretty easy and I had already started to make some new friends. The school seemed pretty OK, but I had a feeling that the peace and quiet of our new lives here would be short-lived.

I tried to shake off my dark thoughts. We would be fine. Nothing would go wrong. I hoped.

After school, Nicolaclair said that she was going out with some friends. She said that she didn't need all of us to go with her so we agreed and I, of course, volunteered to go with her while the others stayed. Eddie and Neil were a little apprehensive about us going without another guardian but they finally agreed and the two of us went to meet her friends.

When I met them, I was relieved to see that I recognized some of them from break time today. The others, Jack, Georgea and John, seemed nice enough and I was sure that we would have some fun tonight.

"So," I said to Nicolaclair. "What are we doing tonight?"

"We're going to see a film," She replied. "And then we'll get a pizza or something and go home."

"That sounds like fun." I told her and it really was.

The movie we watched was one I'd never seen before. It was about a bunch of people, well kids really, running around in an arena, trying to kill each other with swords, knives, spears and other nasty weapons. It was apparently called The Hunger Games and it was actually a pretty good movie.

After the movie, we decided to go to KFC, instead of getting a pizza like we'd originally planned. We got a Boneless Bucket and shared it between us.

"So Billy," Taylor, a nice girl with reddish hair asked me smiling. "What year are you in?"

"Fifth," I told her. "I just started at the school today."

"Yeah, I thought that," Taylor responded with another smile. "I've never seen you before today."

I shrugged and studied my surroundings. Nicolaclair and Georgea, who I think is her best friend, were talking quietly together and glancing cautiously back at me. I wondered what they were talking about, and in sheer curiosity, decided to listen in. I know, I shouldn't have, but I couldn't help it. I was just so curious that I moved a little closer and listened to catch their quiet conversation.

"I know," Nicolaclair was saying in a frustrated tone. "But I don't think he feels the same way."

"Oh, come on!" Georgea said exasperatedly, "You told me that he was really sweet to you and that you guys almost kissed once when you were in France."

Uh-oh. Maybe I should've stopped listening right then but I couldn't. Their conversation was definitely about me and I needed to find out more.

"Yeah," Nicolaclair answered Georgea. "But that was four months ago! He probably doesn't feel that way any more."

"Well, you could always ask him and find out." Georgea said calmly. "The worst that could happen is that he says no." Nicolaclair's cheeks flushed as pink as the top she was wearing.

"Shut up! He's right there, he'll hear us!" She hissed at Georgea fiercely.

"You're the one nearly shouting." She replied, grinning at her friend.

I decided that I'd heard enough and that it would be better to interrupt them now so that i wouldn't need to hear more.

"Nicolaclair? Shouldn't we be heading back now?"

"Yeah, we probably should." She agreed and hurriedly said goodbye to her friends and followed me back to the car.

That night, Neil, Eddie and I flipped a coin to see who would be patrolling around the house tonight. Unfortunately for me, I was the unlucky one who had to do it. It wasn't that I wanted Nicolaclair to be in danger because I definitely didn't, but I didn't really want to be up most of the night either.

"Just patrol until you see the sun come up," Eddie told me. "Then you can get some sleep."

"I know what patrolling means." I grumbled as I pulled on a warm black t-shirt.

"What are you doing?" Liam asked me. "Aren't you going to bed?"

"I'll be back later," I said and quickly left the room before I could punch him or something.

For the first few hours, I didn't see anything but foxes. Then, out of nowhere something lunged at me and I reacted immediately.

I drew my silver stake and turned to face my attacker. It was just as I'd feared, my attacker was a Strigoi. I'd never fought a Strigoi before but I pushed my fear aside the best i could and managed to catch it by surprise when I stabbed the stake straight towards its heart. I didn't quite manage to kill it instantly but by wiggling the stake slightly, I hit the heart and the Strigoi went limp. I pulled my stake out of its chest and turned to find another Strigoi behind me.

Before I could even think about acting, the Strigoi had me on the ground and was leaning in, about to bite me. Then, a thick white mist rose from a neighbour's fountain and went straight into the Strigoi's red-ringed eyes. This gave me a chance to roll us over and pierce his heart with my silver stake.

"Are you OK?" Asked a scared voice behind me. I turned my head to find a worried-looking Nicolaclair kneeling beside me.

"What the hell are you doing out here?" I asked. "You could've been killed! Do you know what would've happened if that Strigoi had gotten loose?"

"Yes, I do," She responded simply. "And it's because of me that it didn't get loose. I was the one who created that white mist! Didn't you wonder where that came from?"

"Y-you saved my life?" I asked. I had wondered where the mist had come from but I'd never imagined her ever saving my life. After all, it was my job to save her life, for god's sake not the other way around!

"Of course," She said, rolling her beautiful big green eyes. "You didn't think I'd let you die, did you?"

Instead of responding, I pulled her into a tight hug and then something happened that I'd been hoping for for a very long time. We kissed and it was the best kiss I'd ever had in my life. Her lips were soft and sweet and...

"Um, sorry to interrupt," An embarrassed voice said from behind us. We broke apart, very embarrassed, and turned to see Neil standing there, holding a mobile phone.

"Oh, Neil, um we were just ... talking." Nicolaclair said quickly, her cheeks turning pink. Neil nodded but he definitely didn't look convinced.

"I just came to see if you were both all right and to give you this. The queen called and said that she wanted to talk to you."

Nicolaclair nodded and took the phone. I didn't hear the conversation but from her face, I could tell that it wasn't anything good.

"What's wrong?" I asked her anxiously. She turned to me, and I got even more worried when I saw how pale her face was.

"My half-sister, Jill, Lissa's other sister, just got attacked by Moroi assassins. She's OK but they're sending her to Palm Springs for safety and Lissa says I have to go there, too."

"What?" I asked. Go to Palm Springs? When? How?

"Yeah, and you guys have to come with me. We're leaving tomorrow."

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed. Please review and tell me what you thought. the next chapter should be up fairly soon. It will probably be a little longer than any of the other chapters so you guys will hopefully enjoy it. Anyway, until next time: hunterofartemis126.


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my own characters.

Author's Note: Hi guys! I hope you enjoy the chapter. We'll get to meet more of our favourite Moroi and dhampirs in this chapter and you will hopefully like it. Anyway, on with the chapter and please remember to review!

Chapter 6: The Royal Court

Nicolaclair's POV

When Lissa had said that we were leaving tomorrow, I'd thought she meant to Palm Springs. But I was wrong. She actually meant that we would be going to the Royal Court and then travelling to Palm Springs in a few days.

I decided not to say anything to my human family about my departure, because I knew that I would never be able to explain it to them properly.

I packed my stuff after the phone call, then i went to bed, knowing that I'd have to get up extra early if I wanted to avoid everyone's notice. I knew that Liam would probably wake up when the guardians did, but he'd probably just go straight back to sleep again.

As I lay in bed, trying to sleep, the night's events kept replaying in my mind. The strigoi attack. Billy pinned to the ground. Me temporarily blinding the Strigoi with water and then, of course, the kiss. That kiss which had been so gentle but so powerful at the same time. It had been my very first kiss, and I knew for certain that I would never forget it.

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP! I groaned in pain. My alarm was unbearably loud and I was very tempted to just curl up under the covers and go back to sleep. Then, someone knocked on the door, forcing me to get up.

I turned off the alarm and stumbled across the room to answer the door. When I opened it, I found Billy out there, already fully dressed.

"I thought I'd come and make sure that you were up." He told me quietly.

"Is everyone else up yet?" I asked sleepily.

"Yeah, and Liam didn't even wake up when we did."

"That's good," I said through a huge yawn. "I'd better get ready now. I'll meet you guys downstairs in about 20 minutes."

"All right," Billy said. "See you then."

I nodded and went to get ready for a long day of travelling.

When I got downstairs, dragging my heavy suitcase behind me, (I'd packed a lot more than I'd actually probably need), I found that everyone was indeed awake and waiting for me.

"OK," Eddie said. "Let's get the luggage in the car and get out of here."

It all went pretty smoothly and a private plane had been sent to Glasgow Airport to pick us up. It was a very long flight but I wasn't bored. I was sitting next to Billy, with Neil and Eddie sitting right across the aisle from us.

"So," I said quietly to Billy. "About that kiss last night. I just wanted to say that it was amazing. You're amazing. And I was wondering if well, are we a couple now?"

"Yes," Billy said. "I'd love to be a couple as long as you're OK with it."

"Of course I'm OK with it!" I squealed. "I'm great with it! I've been waiting for this for a whole ... I don't know, ages!"

Beside me, Billy smiled and took my hand. "Me too," He said and I could tell that he meant it.

"You guys are a couple now?" Eddie asked us. I nodded and smiled at him, feeling a bit relieved that Neil hadn't told Eddie about seeing us kissing last night.

When we finally arrived at Court, a group of unfamiliar guardians escorted us to the palace to meet with Lissa and some others. I was a bit confused at first, since it was the middle of the night by now, but then I remembered that the Court would be on a nocturnal schedule.

When we got to the palace, we were shown into a room with a large TV screen and comfy couches and chairs grouped around it. A group of people were gathered there, and I was suddenly nervous that I wouldn't meet Lissa's royal standards.

"You must be Nicolaclair," Said a very pretty blonde Moroi girl who was about 18 years old with the same green eyes that I had as she came to shake hands with me. "I'm Lissa, we spoke on the phone."

"Oh, right," I said uncomfortably, unsure if I should kneel or something, "It's um very nice to meet you."

"You too." Lissa responded as she smiled kindly at me. Then she turned to the guardians and greeted them. It was clear to me that she and Eddie already knew each other but the others were meeting her for the first time, too.

Then I got to meet the rest of the gathered people. There was a dark haired Dhampir girl named Rose, a very tall Russian Dhampir guy with a dark ponytail called Dimitri, a sly-looking Moroi man named Abe, a brown-haired Moroi guy in his early twenties called Adrian, a Moroi guy with black hair and piercing ice blue eyes called Christian and a Moroi girl about 15 years old with curly light brown hair and eyes the same as mine and Lissa's called Jill. That last one I studied for a long time before I turned questioningly to Lissa.

"Didn't you say that Jill got attacked?" I asked. "She looks completely fine to me."

"I'll explain that later but for now, I have to tell you about the arrangements for Palm Springs." Lissa said. I nodded and she continued. "Well, the thing is, you can't take all three of your guardians, plus guardians for Jill, to Palm Springs."

"Why not?" I asked. I liked my new guardians and I was sad that I couldn't take them with me, especially Billy.

"Because it's not really practical," Lissa explained. "So I was thinking about making Eddie Jill's guardian and letting you pick whichever guardian you want to go with you."

I thought for a moment. This was better than I had expected but something was bugging me. "What about the guardian I don't pick?" I asked.

Lissa smiled. "They'll still be your guardian, they just won't be with you for a while. I'll probably send them on later, if you need more protection, that is."

"All right," I said. "Eddie can go with Jill and Billy, would you mind coming with me?"

"No, I'd love to come with you." He said, giving me a quick hug. Then I turned to Lissa. "Can I be excused for a minute? I'd like to speak to Neil in private."

"Of course," Lissa said and I gestured to Neil to follow me out of the room. Once outside, I turned to face him.

"Neil, I hope you don't think that I'm disrespecting you. I know that you're a great guardian, but Billy is my boyfriend and I really don't want to be away from him for that long. I hope you understand."

"That's OK," Neil said with a very slight smile. "I completely understand and besides, it'll be good for Billy to get some real world experience."

I gave Neil a quick hug. "Thanks for understanding. I hope they send you along because I think we could be good friends."

Neil smiled at me. "Yes," He agreed. "Me too."

When I went back into the room, the others were talking about getting lunch. I was hungry so I joined them and we all had our meal in the room we were in, curtesy of Lissa's servants.

While we were eating, Billy leaned towards me. "I'm glad I get to go with you," He whispered to me. "I thought you would've picked Neil. You know, because he's more experienced and stuff."

"Like I'd leave you behind," I laughed. "And besides, it's not really likely that we'll get that many Strigoi in Palm Springs."

"True," Billy said. "But you can never be too careful."

"Nicolaclair?" Lissa asked me later as I was preparing to go to my room, which was actually still inside the palace.

"Yeah?" I answered Lissa.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure," I said as I followed Lissa outside.

"Well," Lissa said quietly. "I just wanted to tell you about Jill, since you were asking earlier."

"Oh, ok," I said. "What happened to her?"

She told me. I couldn't speak, I could only stare at her in astonishment.

"You mean... she was resurrected?"

"Sort of," Lissa answered. "It's a power that only a few Moroi have. I have it, Adrian has it and so do a few others, it's called spirit."

"Right," I said, "I think I get it."

"Good," She said with a smile. "I know you've had a lot to deal with lately. I hope you understand that I really am pleased to meet you. I hope we'll get closer, once we get to know each other, I mean."

"Me too," I said and I was surprised to realize how much I meant it.

Over the next week, I got to know everyone a lot better. They were all really nice, especially Jill, and I found myself becoming fast friends with everyone.

Meanwhile, my relationship with Billy was as good as I'd ever imagined it could be. He was really sweet and romantic and I found myself loving him more and more as each day went by.

On the day that we were flying to Palm Springs, I began to feel very nervous. How would I, one of the most unpopular girls in my old school, fit in at a fancy private school like Amberwood? I didn't know but I supposed that I'd just have to be strong to make it.

Billy, always so much more confident than I was, tried to reassure me. "You'll be fine," He kept saying. "I'm sure you'll make lots of friends. And you've got me to protect you. I'll be with you as much as I can, you'll be completely fine."

His reassurance was comforting but I still worried.

You're being stupid, I told myself as I got on to the plane that would take me to my new life, nothing bad will happen to you. I hoped, with everything I had, that that was true.

Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed that guys. And please remember to review! hunterofartemis126


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my own characters. Richelle Mead owns everything else.

Author's Note: I'm back with a new chapter! This one will be a bit shorter but I hope you guys still enjoy it. Please read and review!

Chapter Seven: Best Laid Plans Go Terribly Wrong

Billy's POV

Landing in Palm Springs was a little like being back home in Spain. The main difference? It was a lot hotter and more humid here.

"So," Rose said as we sat in the minibus that would take us to the home of Clarence Donahue, an old Moroi who'd agreed to let us use his feeder/housekeeper. "What should we expect to find at Clarence's? Is the house secure?"

"Yes," Abe said. "Clarence is a very ... paranoid mad."

"In what way?" I asked. "Did something happen to-"

I was cut off by the sound of shattered glass as the window was smashed to pieces. In a flash, Rose, Eddie and I had our stakes out and the minibus had screeched to a shuddering stop.

"What the hell is going on?" Eddie asked as the mini-bus door creaked open, revealing half a dozen Moroi men, all armed with deadly-looking knives.

"The assassins," Jill whispered, "They've found out about our plans."

Whether Jill was right or not, it didn't matter. All that mattered was securing this place and keeping the Moroi out of danger. As one, Eddie Rose and I ran forward and engaged with the Moroi.

The fight didn't last very long, but it wasn't without injury. All three of us were covered with minor scrapes, but right now I didn't care.

We'd managed to knock all of the Moroi out, and of course, we'd got rid of their weapons, too.

"Is everyone all right?" Eddie asked. Everyone nodded, though I noticed that the Moroi looked a bit shaken.

"What now?" I asked. "We can't stay in Palm Springs after this."

"We'll have to arrange for another secure location," Rose said. "I'll call Lissa now and let her know what's going on."

As Rose made the call, I went to Nicolaclair's side, to make sure she was okay.

"Are you sure you're all right?" I asked her worriedly. "You looked pretty shaken."

"I'm ok," She assured me quickly. "I just ... I guess the fact that Moroi assassins want to kill me is just beginning to sink in. I never really ... understood what that meant at first."

I put my arm around her shoulders. She was shaking so violently that I thought she might shake apart at any moment. I pulled her closer and met her eyes directly.

"You'll be OK," I whispered to her, running my hand gently through her beautiful dark brown hair to soothe her. "I'll keep you safe, I promise. Those assassins won't get anywhere near you with me on guard."

"I know you'll do everything you can," She whispered. "But what if they come back? What if... I don't know, they get in when I'm alone?"

"That won't happen," I told her, trying to keep my voice even. "Trust me, nothing will hurt you. You'll be completely fine."

She finally nodded, then she rested her head on my shoulder and waited for Rose to finish her conversation with Lissa.

"Right," Rose said when she'd hung up the phone. "You're not staying in Palm Springs, at least not for long. You'll be staying there for a week, max. Then, you'll go ... somewhere. Lissa says she's looking at new locations now. For now, she says stick to the plan and she'll be in touch soon."

"But what if the rebels try something else?" Eddie asked. "There will only be two guardians on campus and we can't be with Nicolaclair and Jill 24/7."

"She's sending two more guardian today. Don't worry, we'll make sure nothing else happens."

We agreed, although I really didn't like the idea of staying here after what had happened, and kept driving towards Clarence's.

Once we'd arrived at Clarence's, we found that he by a nice old man who seemed to get distracted easily.

Soon after we'd arrived, two humans, unmistakably Alchemists, came in.

"Sydney!" Jill said happily as the humans entered the room, her eyes lighting up in that enthusiastic way of hers.

Sydney, a girl of about 18 with dark golden hair and brown eyes and the golden lily tattoo that marked her as an Alchemist, managed a smile for her and then she turned to the rest of us.

My first impressions of Sydney were that she was a very professional person who seemed to be very nervous about meeting such a large group of Moroi and Dhampirs. Her colleague, Keith, on the other hand seemed down-right terrified of us.

"So, who's this?" Sydney asked, nodded at Nicolaclair and me. "We were told that there was only Jill, Adrian and one guardian."

"I'm Nicolaclair," She replied with a polite smile. "I'm the queen's sister, too. I only found out last week."

"Right," Sydney said. "And you are?" She added, looking at me.

"I'm Billy, Nicolaclair's guardian."

"Well, pleased to meet you both." She said and we nodded politely.

Not long after Abe and Rose had left, we got into Sydney's car and made our way to Amberwood for what would hopefully be an uneventful week.

Author's Note: I know this was pretty short but I hope you enjoyed it. I'd also like to thank Guest for your review! Please keep it up. :) hunterofartemis126


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